And so, we start our day going down to the Jordan River. There are places that say that this spot here or this spot there is where Jesus was baptized. Regardless, it was the Jordan, and it was a special time for the people shown below!

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Some spoke of their journey, some declared a simple sentence. Here is a brief testimony from a wonderful couple:

After they dried of and changed, we went on our way to the Qumran, the place where the dead sea scrolls have been found, and where they are still doing some digging. It was really fascinating walking through time to view a glimpse of the “Dead Sea sect” that preserved so faithfully the scriptures of what they believed what we believe. It was pretty amazing and surreal!

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After we left there, we journeyed to Tamar Park, by way of the Salt Sea (experience to follow!) Tamar Park is this incredible archaeological treasure that reveals at least seven periods of Biblical history. You can see some of the pictures, and many of the historical figures that have helped to shape Israel’s existence.

And what happened to day 5, you may ask. Shabbat happened :-). It was glorious to slow down, rest, and fellowship. I do love that part of my week!

But we keep going, and we are at the mid-point of the tour. We left Jerusalem and headed to the Galilee region, or the Kinneret, as I explained in the Galilee post here. I have pictures of the explanation of an ancient boat that was dated more than 2,000 years ago, you can walk with me on that journey (right-click on the image and open in a new tab to see the full size – you’ll be able to read the story).

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We got to sail on the Kinneret – that was special, as you will see. We started the journey with the Hatikvah, the Jewish national anthem. It means the hope, and it’s a very moving song, even if you don’t understand the words. Here you go.

Being on the water was incredible. Pictures can only barely touch the amazing experience.

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I relayed in the post mentioned above that Hillsong United recorded the song Oceans there. The boat owner played it for us, and I was undone. I can’t upload my recording due to copyright restrictions, but here’s the Hillsong version again. The boat that you see is the boat that we were on.

After that was Capernaum and seeing the Galil valley from up high. What a wonderful close to our day, seeing the Kinneret from our hotel room!

You’ll see Rav (Rabbi) Glick, a member of the Knesset and a survivor of an assassination attempt. You’ll also see bits and pieces of our tour through the Kotel Tunnels, the area beneath the city where life happened before the Romans built it up.

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And here’s a small clip of one of our tour guides, Hanoch, as he shares with us a time and place long past. He’s not too passionate, is he?

Another day of photos! We spent the day in the Old City, going to the Temple Mount, visiting the Western Wall, meeting with shop owners, and enjoying the city in general. Click here to review my post of our experiences there.

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As we were waiting in line to go to the Temple Mount, we got to see a Bar Mitzvah procession…

And what tourist place would be complete without amazing street performers?

These are pictures mostly from Shiloh (Check out this post). We went to the Children’s center, a therapy center for children who are affected by terrorism. The kids were fun and loved our camera! Some of the guys even got to dance with the boys for their Rosh Chadosh celebration!

And then we went to the excavation site where the Tabernacle was for 369 years. It was definitely one of my highlights, and maybe sometime, as I get more words, I can tell of the awesome spirit of peace I felt there. But here is a glimpse of what I saw…

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Favorite Quotes

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Marianne Williamson, Quoted by Nelson Mandela at his 1994 Inaugural Speech